Eco-friendly bus shelters planned for city

Plans to replace up to 30 bus stops with new shelters featuring living roofs and digital advertising screens have been lodged with a council.

Clear Channel UK said its scheme in York would see solar-powered shelters with rooftop wildflower and sedum plant beds installed.

The application also states the shelters would bring "significant social and environmental benefits", with their installation, cleaning and maintenance funded by advertising.

Claire Foale, City of York Council's chief strategy officer, said the shelters would offer discounted advertising for local small businesses and would give the authority a "communications channel" for public information.

The plans come after the council awarded the contract for management of the city's bus shelters to Clear Channel.

A 2024 decision to hand it to existing holders JCDecaux was reversed and a transition period is currently in place to allow for the replacement of existing bus shelters.

The new plans state the living roofs on the shelters would feature plants designed to appeal to pollinating insects to help reverse their decline while also absorbing rainwater and emissions.

They added the 62in x 36in (160cm x 93cm) digital screens would be smaller than existing illuminated displays which would help to de-clutter streets.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the council is set to receive a portion of the advertising revenue, with one 10-second slot per minute of screen time for its own communications.

Plans also pledge a six-figure social value fund to spend on social and environmental causes, and a donation of screen time for two weeks to campaign for York-based charities.

No date has been set for councillors to consider the plans.

Listen to highlights from North Yorkshire on BBC Sounds, catch up with the latest episode of Look North.